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Ella Gafter South Sea Pearl Diamond Onyx Drop Earrings

Name: Ella Gafter South Sea Pearl Diamond Onyx Drop Earrings
Brand: Ella Gafter
Price: 17800 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

This pair of earrings features a spherical top set with diamonds suspending through a flexible column two round/oval South Sea pearls of 14.5 x 13mm. The untreated South Sea pearls originate from the waters of Northwestern Australia. They display a beautiful nacre and their natural color and high luster have not been enhanced in any way. There are 1.55 carats of round diamonds of top quality (F/VVS), and black onyx detail, lending the jewel a distinctive art déco look. The earrings are one-of-a-kind and entirely handmade in 18 carat gold by maestro Tonino in Italy according to an original design by Ella Gafter. They are signed EG. About Ella Gafter: Ella Gafter is recognized as one of the world’s leading pearl jewelers, even earning herself the epithet of “The Queen of Pearls”. She is known both for sourcing these organic gems directly in Australia and for her exclusive use of pearls of high luster and uncommonly large size. Ella’s work has always enjoyed tremendous editorial coverage from world-class photographers and stylists in every type of publication. In 2001, an extraordinary corsage brooch by Ella Gafter was one of the very few contemporary pieces included in the American Museum of Natural History’s “Pearls” exhibition, which traveled around the world for 10 years. Recently, Ella has agreed to donate the brooch to their permanent collection; it will be prominently and permanently displayed in the new Hall of Gems and Minerals to open in the spring of 2021.

Creator:

Ella Gafter

Metal:

18k Gold,White Gold

Stone:

White Diamond,Onyx,South Sea Pearl,Diamond,Pearl

Stone Cut:

Brilliant Cut

Dimensions:

Length: 1.75 in (44.45 mm)

Style:

Artist

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

21st Century

Date of Manufacture:

Unknown

Condition:

Seller Location:

New York, NY

Reference Number:

Seller: 15851stDibs: LU80237311511

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Shop All Ella Gafter

Ella Gafter

Even before Ella Gafter founded her namesake jewelry collection in 1982, she was a formidable presence in the jewelry industry.

As a Rome-based gem dealer, Gafter sold pearls and precious stones to retailers and jewelers but was often dissatisfied with how they made use of the rare materials she worked so hard to source. Instead of grousing, she decided to design jewels that would do them justice, focusing primarily on pearls — akoya, Tahitian and South Sea. She explains her fascination with the lustrous marine treasures simply: “Every woman looks better with pearls than without.”

Her daughter Talila Gafter, then an undergrad at Harvard, was her ally in getting the project off the ground. Together, they made the rounds to stores with Ella’s first efforts. “We had a little pouch with eight pieces and we sold everything,” Talila tells 1stDibs. After graduation, she “was involved one hundred percent” in building the company, whose pieces are handmade by master jewelers in Naples.

The designer insists that her unwavering focus is the source of her success. “There’s no compromising for me,” she says. She’s been known to replace the pearls in a single piece time after time until she’s certain she’s achieved her ideal result. “A pearl you have to respect,” she explains. “You have to put it where it wants to sit.”

Ella describes the collaboration with her daughter as a “partnership,” with each having her own domain. “I’m all fantasy; Talila is the concrete one,” she says. The company is now based in New York City, with Talila as its president while Ella is firmly at the helm of creative decisions. “I’ve never made a design suggestion to Ella,” says Talila. “Nobody does.”

That forbearance has been earned, says Talila. “I admire that Ella doesn’t take no for an answer, her tenacity, her extraordinary ambition. She believes as long as there is life, there is a lot of beauty to create. She’s a force of nature.”

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